This invention relates generally to a combined storage package and applicator, and more particularly to a disposable single-dose applicator for a liquid product.
Liquid phase products or “liquid products” have many uses in the medical, hygiene, and first aid fields. One example of such a liquid phase product is a “liquid bandage”, that is, a liquid that can be applied to a wound or burn that then cures to form an protective barrier. A liquid bandage can be applied in arbitrary shapes and sizes and can be applied to odd-shaped areas of the body. This saves money and reduces waste compared to fabric or plastic bandages.
This type of product has typically been packaged in multi-dose containers, for example an ordinary glass bottle incorporating a brush applicator. Unfortunately, this kind of package often contains enough liquid for many scores or even hundreds of individual uses or “doses”. This arrangement is uneconomical if a user wants to keep the liquid product readily available in several locations (i.e. at home, at work, or in a car). The product is also subject to spoliation, drying out, or breakage well before it is fully consumed. Furthermore, because of the nature of the product, reuse can be unsightly or unappealing. For example, liquid bandages are often applied with an applicator brush that is stored in the bottle after it has been put in contact with an open wound, thereby facilitating contamination of the remaining liquid with wound debris.
There have been attempts in the prior art to create single-dose packages. However, these packages require a separate applicator which is messy and wasteful.
Accordingly, there is a need for a combined single-dose package and applicator.